City of Merced Planning Commission Meeting

On June 17, 2026, at 6:00 PM, the City of Merced Planning Commission convened in the City Council Chamber at 678 W. 18th Street, Merced, CA. Present were Chairperson Gonzalez and Commissioners Bugh, Swiggard, Ochoa, and Greggins; Commissioner Smith was absent excused. A quorum was present. The Commission approved the consent calendar, held a public hearing on the Sixth Cycle Housing Element package, pulled a minor modification item at staff request, and received an update on upcoming items.

Consent Calendar

• The Commission approved the consent calendar, including the Planning Commission minutes of June 3, 2026, on a motion by Commissioner Ochoa seconded by Commissioner Greggins.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No general public comment speakers were present at the beginning of the meeting.
• For the Housing Element hearing, staff noted that two emailed comments had been submitted and posted. Ashley Maria Suarez, speaking on behalf of the Leadership Counsel and the Public Interest Law Project, urged the Commission to reject the current draft and recommend denial unless further revisions were made. She said the plan meets only minimum statutory requirements and should be strengthened now with tenant protections and fair-housing measures. Her requested changes included increasing in-lieu fees, increasing the number of affordable units required to be built with market-rate housing, extending those requirements to infill development, adding a tenant relocation assistance program, and establishing eviction-defense and eviction-protection programs. She also argued that the SB 244 analysis had little public input and had not been revised since 2024, and asked that it be returned for public review before adoption.

Discussion Items

• Item E.1, Housing Element and related actions: Senior Planner Leah Brown presented the staff recommendation to adopt Resolution #4181, recommending that the City Council adopt General Plan Amendment #24-06 (the Merced Multijurisdictional Housing Element and Appendix G), Zoning Ordinance Amendment #26-0001 (RHNA rezone language), Environmental Review #26-0068, and the SB 244 Analysis.
  • Brown described the state-required eight-year Housing Element cycle and explained that the City of Merced’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation is 10,517 units, almost 5,000 more than the prior cycle; staff later stated the increase was about 4,900 units.
  • Income categories were presented as very low (30 to 50 percent of area median income), low (50 to 80 percent), moderate (80 to 120 percent), and above moderate (120 percent or more). For a Merced County family of four, the approximate thresholds were $41,000 or less, $65,000 or less, $98,000 or less, and above $98,000, respectively.
  • The sixth-cycle planning period runs from January 31, 2024 through January 31, 2032, and the city is currently out of compliance. Staff described five public drafts; after a technical advice meeting, HCD’s March 17, 2026 letter, described by staff as the so-called golden ticket email, said the revised draft met statutory requirements, but substantial compliance also required completing the necessary rezones and adopting and submitting the Housing Element.
  • The Commission previously recommended rezones for 27 parcels in February 2025, and the City Council adopted Ordinance 2577 in April 2025. The proposed zoning text includes by-right multifamily development when at least 20 percent of units are affordable to lower-income households, meaning approval without discretionary review; a minimum of 16 units per site; a minimum density of 20 units per acre; a maximum density of at least 24 units per acre; and mixed-use floor-area requirements.
  • The SB 244 analysis identifies six disadvantaged unincorporated communities in or near South Merced and reviews their service conditions. Staff stressed it is only an analysis and does not promise annexation or funding.
  • Environmental Review #26-0068 was found statutorily exempt from CEQA under CEQA Guidelines Section 15162; future development on rezoned RHNA sites will require separate CEQA review.
  • During commission discussion, Chairperson Gonzalez noted the earlier outreach to owners of rezoned parcels, saying most owners were in favor because rezoning could add property value; a park parcel was dropped after a staff error. Staff also explained that the Merced County Association of Governments distributes the state-assigned regional target among local jurisdictions, and Merced received the largest share because it is the largest city in the county.
  • Commissioner Greggins asked about the 20 percent affordable by-right provision, and staff confirmed that such a project would not require discretionary approval from the Planning Commission or City Council.
  • In response to a question about what rejection would mean, staff said the Commission’s denial recommendation would go to the City Council, and the City Council would need to give specific direction before additional programs could be incorporated and returned to HCD.
• Item E.2, Minor Modification #26-0008 and Environmental Review #26-0061: Planner Kayla advised that the item was being pulled at staff request; no vote was needed and no action was taken.
• Items F.1 and F.2, upcoming agenda items and calendar: The Planning Manager reported that the next substantive item would be a presentation to the Commission on the General Plan Update mission statement on August 5, 2026, giving the Commission a chance to help shape it before it goes to the City Council. The meeting calendar through August 2026 was reviewed.

Key Outcomes

• The Commission adopted Resolution #4181, recommending that the City Council adopt General Plan Amendment #24-06, Zoning Ordinance Amendment #26-0001, Environmental Review #26-0068, and the SB 244 Analysis. The motion was made by Commissioner Ochoa and seconded by Chairperson Gonzalez; the Chair announced the motion was adopted.
• Item E.2 was pulled at staff request, with no action taken.
• The Planning Commission’s next noted substantive discussion is the General Plan Update mission statement on August 5, 2026; the calendar also lists Planning Commission meetings on July 8 and July 22, 2026.